Organisational change is rarely a thing of beauty, but it can be magical in hindsight. Change can be imposed, rammed through and will leave a trail of brokenness behind. It can also be organic, slow, full of wrong turns and cul-de-sacs. But it also can be visionary, full of stories, excitement and joy. Often it feels like a mixture of all three with a large helping of confusion thrown in for good measure.

And yet, sometimes years or decades later, we look back with wonder. Or the change becomes a case study in the lore of the organisation or some MBA class. It appears magical, like their must have been some sleight of hand, a bunny pulled from the hat. Or even like people sawn in two because how could they be in so many places at once.

Time does this. Time adds the magic dust to our eyes. We forget or drop the stories of the people who consistently showed up, who listened, who cared for the other. We forget the difficult, yes painful conversations. The frustration of ‘why don’t they get it’.

Beauty and magic are not easy, buy off the shelf products. They are often hard won and hard work. We may not ‘see’ the work happening in others around us. But hard work, consistently done is the only way to achieve change. And while we may not see or feel magical while we’re in it because we are up close, perhaps time will give us the perspective to see it in the end.

What is the magic you are bringing to the world?

Photo by Greg Rakozy